Queen of the Amazons
by Pepper9873
Summary: Diana and Bruce are getting married, but their honeymoon is cancelled when the League receives a distress call from the Amazons. Now in order to save her mother and Themyscira, Diana must take her mother's place as queen.
1. Prologue: The Battle Begins

A/N: This is my first Justice League fanfiction, so I'm delving into some unfamiliar territory. Please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the story, They are the respectful property of DC Comics and Warner Brother Studios, I just write stories about them.

* * *

The sun was high over the shores of Themyscira. Queen Hippolyta looked out her window, and watched the rays of light dance on the ocean's surface. The sight entranced her into complete serenity. She sighed contentedly, becoming lost in the spectacle, when she noticed three large ships heading towards the island. "Thera." she called to one of her guards.

"Yes, my queen?" Thera responded while entering the room. Even with Hippolyta's back turned to her, she could tell that something was wrong.

"Get my army ready, we have intruders."

"Right away." She took off as fast as she could. Hippolyta left soon after, and headed towards the armory.

When she arrived, most of her warriors were already there and putting on their armor. She quickly located her own, and started fastening it to herself. Grabbing her sword off it's resting place, she raced outside, where her bay charger was saddled and waiting for her. She grabbed its reins, and waited until everyone was at their chargers before mounting.

Satisfied that everyone was up, Hippolyta raised her sword over her head, and pointed it in the direction of the shore. Her mare surged forward, as she dug her heels into its side. The others followed suit, and urged their mounts to follow.

Reaching the shore, she slowed her mount to a stop. The ships were still about a hundred feet away, but quickly shortening the distance. "Be ready!" The ships beached. They waited as the landing dock was lowered. Men came storming out of the ships. With swords raised, they charged at the Amazons.

"Charge!" Hippolyta cried. The sound of metal hitting metal resonated through the air as swords struck other swords and armor. Cries of injured warriors joined in. Hippolyta was deep in the fray, and taking down any who choose to oppose her.

The Amazons were having no trouble holding back the intruders, and forcing them to retreat back to their ships. Victory was insured, until two more ships filled with reinforcements came ashore. Hippolyta wheeled her charger around, some of the men surrounding her fell to the ground as the horse's front hooves connected with their heads, others fled.

More men came to take the place of their comrades. Now the Amazons were being forced back. In one last attempt, Hippolyta led her warriors back to the shore. One of the men she passed, slashed her charger's back legs with his sword. The mare reared, and fell backwards as she lost support. Hippolyta was thrown onto the sand. She recovered from her fall, and picked her self off the ground. She reached for her sword that had fallen beside her, when seveal swords pointed at her from all directions.

"Don't move." a masculine voice came from behind her. One by one he switched places with the other men until he was standing right in front of her. He stood about six feet tall. His beard was trimmed close to his face. And from his dress, Hippolyta figured he was the men's leader. "Who are you?" His question came out more like a command. When she didn't answer he asked again. "Who are you?" This time he reinforced it with a small jab of his sword.

"Who are you?" Hippolyta asked in defience.

"You are in no position to be asking me questions! Now tell me who you are!"

"I am Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons."

"Queen, aye? You could be of use to us. Take her in." Two men grabbed her arms and pulled her away.

Thera and the rest of the Amazons had retreated into the dence forest. The watched as their queen was led away to the castle. "What are we going to do now?" the woman next to Thera asked.

"I don't know."

"If Princess Diana was here, she would know what to do." another woman piped. She was soon joined by others who thought the same.

"Well she's not now is she?" Thera reminded. Then she remembered the device that Diana had given the Amazons should they need her. She ran to her charger, and pulled the device out of her saddlebag. She transmitted a message, and prayed that it would reach her in time.


	2. Chapter One: Here Comes the Bride

People bustled around the property of Wayne Manor preparing for the most important event they would ever witness, the wedding of billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne and the Amazonian princess, Diana Prince.

Only invited guests, and those who were doing various jobs for the wedding, were allowed past the heavily guarded front gates. The media had formed a sea of people with cameras as close to the gates and the fence as they could, hoping to get a glance of the ceremony, and/or the bride and groom.

In the backyard, Alfred was busy making sure that the wedding went off without a hitch, and double-checking that everyone who was there were supposed to be. After checking off the last person on his list, he went to the Batcave to make sure Bruce wasn't there when he should be getting ready. Alfred entered the dimly lit cave, and sure enough found Bruce sitting at his computer. "Master Bruce."

"Yeah Alfred." Bruce responded without turning away from the screen.

"You are aware that you are supposed to be getting married in forty-five minutes?"

"Yes, I just want to check something and I'll be right up."

"Fine, but if you are not ready in thirty minutes, I'll sic Ace on you."

"You wouldn't dare." He turned from the screen to glare at the butler.

"I would. I may even tell Princess Diana that you were down here aswell, and I don't think she'll be very pleased." Alfred kept his calm demeanor, confident that his last statement did the trick.

Bruce gave an exasperated sigh, he hated when Alfred was right, he also resented the instinct for self-preservation. "I'll be up in five minutes, alright?"

"Very well Master Bruce, five minutes and not a second more." Alfred checked his watch to get the exact time, and walked off. As he headed up the stairs, a smug smirk crept onto his face.

Diana was in one of the guest bedrooms, looking herself over in the mirror. She ran her hands down her waist, to eventually rest near her hips. She was wearing a sleeveless wedding gown, with embroidered flowers along the skirt, which fell only a couple millimeters from the ground, with the train coming seemlessly from the back. Her hair sported a small bun near the top of her head with a few inches of hair loose at the bottom. The hair that wasn't used for the bun, was allowed to flow freely across her back and shoulders. Her veil was attached to a white silk ribbon that was looped around the bun. She also wore a necklace Bruce had given her, along with her usual earrings. She was left fresh-faced, since she refused to wear makeup.

Still peering into the mirror, Diana heard a rapping at the door. "Come in."

The door opened and Alfred stepped into the room. He gasped when he caught sight of Diana. "You look absolutely stunning." He managed to spurt.

Diana gave him a shy smile. "Thank you. Is it time already?"

"No, you still have about twenty minutes. I just came to see if you needed anything."

"I'm fine Alfred, thank you."

"You're welcome Princess. I'll be back to get you in a bit."

Once again Alfred went to check on Bruce's progress. Thankfully he found him fully dressed in his black tuxedo, fumbling with the bowtie in the mirror. "Good, you're here. Could you tie this for me?" Bruce walked over to Alfred, placed the bowtie in his hand, and lifted his head so Alfred could have better access to his neck.

"Just like when you were a young lad." Alfred quipped as he tightened the tie.

"And you still do it too tight." Bruce put his fingers between his neck and the tie to loosen it. "How do you expect me to breath?"

"Don't be silly Master Bruce. If you couldn't breath, you wouldn't have been able to talk." He stepped back from Bruce, then placed his hands on his shoulders. "It feels like I'm about to watch my own son start the next chapter in his life. Now it's marriage, next it's children..."

Bruce cut him short. "What makes you think Diana and I are going to have children?"

"Master Bruce, I know right now that children look like little crying monsters to you, but in the future you're mind will probably change, and you'll want some of your own."

"And if it doesn't change?"

"Well then, that doesn't matter now. What does is that we get you downstairs before the ceremony starts." They both exited the room together, then Alfred left Bruce at the top of the staircase so that he could get Diana.

Bruce slowly came down the stairs. Ace was waiting for him at the bottom. He gave the dog a quick rub between the ears, and continued to the backyard, Ace right on his heels. Wally and Clark, who were acting as ushers after a small incident left two of the ones that were hired injured, stood at the glass door.

As Bruce passed, Wally started singing quietly. "Here comes the Bats..Omph." Clark put an end to the song with a quick elbow to Wally's ribs.

"Icksnay, on the atsbay." He scolded, keeping his voice low.

"Sorry." Wally replied breathlessly.

Giggling inside, Bruce kept walking. Everyone turned to see him walk to the alter. League members gave him their encourgement as he made his journey. Lois Lane gave him a thumbs up as he walked by her. She was allowed to attend the wedding after giving a blood-oath that she wouldn't bring any type of recording devices, and not breath a word to the press or to anyone who would tell the press, about the wedding. Her thumb had a little red spot where Bruce had pricked her.

Shortly after Bruce reached the alter, the Wedding March started playing, signalling Diana's arrival. Bruce took in a deep breath as Diana walked out into the aisle. Gasps were heard from the guests. Wally whistled at her, making Diana blush, and prompting Clark to once again punish him.

"Am I going to have to keep this up all day?" Clark whispered in Wally's ear.

"No." He managed to choke out.

As Diana reached his side, Bruce grabbed both of her hands into his. It took most of his self-control to keep from pulling her close to him, and kiss her._ "You'll get to do that later." _He reminded himself.

Everyone grew quiet as the priest started speaking. Bruce was starting to get anxious as they got closer to the end, although he made sure not to let it show. He had only been listening enough to know when he had to do something.

"...You may now kiss the bride." Upon hearing those six words, Bruce pulled Diana into a fiery kiss. Everyone burst into applause. Alfred turned away to blow his nose on a handkerchief. The couple pulled away, and walked down the aisle as man and wife.


	3. Chapter Two: Return to Themyscira

A/N: This chapter came a bit later then most, only because I ended up losing a good chunk of it, so I got disheartened and took a break. Anywho, here you go, please enjoy, now on to the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the story, they are the respectful property of DC Comics and Warner Brother Studios, I just write stories about them.

* * *

"Ready for Tahiti?" Bruce asked Diana as they walked to the car.

"I can't wait. Just you, me, and the beach." Her lips curved into a big smile.

Although they weren't the beaches of Themyscira, Tahiti's beaches were a close second. She could smell the salt water already, and her body quivered with excitement.

Bruce opened the car-door, and Diana was about to step in when a voice came over her communicater. "Watch Tower to Wonder Woman."

"Go ahead J'onn."

"We have urgent matters that you may want to attend to."

"Could you beam Bruce and I up?"

"Yes."

"Wait a se..." Bruce was about to protest, but J'onn had already started the transport. "...cond." He finished his sentence on the main floor of the Watch Tower.

"What is it J'onn?" Diana asked as she walked over to him.

"We received a distress call from the Amazons a minute ago. The transmission was a bit damaged due to unknown circumstances, but you can still make out most of it." Pressing down on a button, he replayed the message.

"Men...invaded...Queen Hippolyta...captured...We have..retreated and reorganized...forest...Please hurry." Diana's face dropped as she listened to the message.

She turned to J'onn. "I need a Javeline."

"One is ready in the Hanger Bay."

"Good, I'll be leaving within the hour." She flew off to her quarters. Bruce followed as closely as he could. By the time he got there, she already had on her costume. He leaned against the doorway.

"You're not trying to stop me are you?" Diana's voice had taken a rougher, somewhat challenging tone.

"No, you should go. You're mother's in trouble and so are your people. But, I would convince you to let me go with you."

"I don't think that's the best idea."

"Because of what the message said?"

"Mostly."

"Well, at least take some of the female members with you. You know Shayera is always up for a good fight."

Diana gave him a small smile. "Alright, if it would make you feel better." She kissed him on the lips before walking past him.

"Diana." She turned to face Bruce. "If things get out of hand, promise you'll contact me."

"I will. I love you, Bruce."

"Love you too."

Two hours later, Diana, Shayera, Zatanna, Dinah, Helena, Cara, Barbara and Mira were on their way to Themyscira. Diana was at the controls, and had just finished filling everyone in on the situation.

"If they managed to reorganize themselves, why do they need our help?" Cara asked.

"Because, they can't defeat the invaders by themselves?" Barbara suggested.

"Babs has a very good point." Helena stated.

"Did the Amazons say how long your mother has been held captive for?" Mira questioned.

"No." Diana's face grew solemn, and she could feel a tension headache forming.

Zatanna reached over, and cupped her hand over Diana's shoulder. "Cheer up, we'll get her back."

"Yeah, and we'll get to enjoy kicking some butt in the process." Shayera added. "Ohhh, is that a smile I see?" She put her finger near the edge of Diana's mouth and started to pull it upwards, then noticing what she was doing, pulled it away. "Oh jeez."

"What?" Diana asked confused.

"I've been hanging around Flash too much, he's starting to turn me into him." Shayera cupped her face in her hands, and started shaking it slowly.

The conversation then turned into awkward silence. Wanting to end it, Dinah started to speak. "So, how long until we arrive Diana?"

"We should be coming into view of the island in about four minutes. You may want to start buckling up." They all did as suggested, then peered out their windows.

"Wow." Cara breathed as Themyscira came into veiw.

Everyone was awstruck by the island's beauty. Even Shayera, who had been to the island before, couldn't help getting captivated by it.

Diana steered the Javeline near a remote part of the island, and started the landing sequence. The Javeline bounced as its landing struts bent from the weight of the impact. Activating the loading ramp, Diana left her seat and started exiting with everyone else right behind her.

"Where did they say they were again?" Barbara asked as she stepped onto the ground.

"Somewhere in the forest. They didn't say exactly where in the forest though." Diana answered as she scanned the area. "I guess we're just going to have to keep walking until we find them."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Barbara replied sarcastically.

The group set forth into the forest. As they went, they looked for any traces of foot or hoof prints that could lead to the Amazons whereabouts.

"Over there." Cara pointed to a spot of closely packed prints. She trotted over to them. "Get down!" She screamed as she heard a whizzing of an arrow with her super-hearing. The arrow stuck into a nearby tree, right where her head would have been.

"I think we found them." Mira pointed to three women walking towards them. They were armed with bows and had full quivers of arrows. One even had strung one in her bow.

"Queen Diana." The middle one proclaimed, and all three of them lowered to one knee and bowed. The middle one looked back up as she continued speaking. "We are glad you have arrived safely."

"Queen?" Dinah whispered to Helena. Helena just shrugged.

"As am I to find you safe." Diana replied to the three women. She gestured with her hand for them to rise. They got up without delay.

The woman on the right spoke. "Please forgive me, I did not know that it was you I had fired upon. I hope that you and you're companians are unharmed."

"We are, and you are forgiven. Now where are the rest of you?"

"We set up camp several feet back where we came from. After the initial attack, a few of us went back to the city to gather what we could and burn the rest."

"Who has been in charge."

"Thera."

Diana nodded her approval. "Shall we head to the camp then."

"Yes, you're highness." All three replied, then escorted them towards the camp.

Dinah caught up with Diana. "Why did the call you 'Queen Diana' instead of princess?"

"It's simple, when the queen can no longer rule, no matter what the reason, the person who would get the title next would get it so they could take care of the queen's resposibilities. In most cases, like this one, it's just temporary until the actual queen can rule again."

"I get it." Dinah fell back, as the continued their march.


	4. Chapter Three: Stowaway

Thera raised a sword over her head as she tested it. Her original sword had broken earlier, and she was in need of a replacement. She swung the sword at an imaginary opponent, testing the weight. The sword flew clumsily through the air. Frustrated, she threw the sword back where she had gotten it from, and pulled out another.

This one had a slightly thinner blade than the other one, with a smaller hilt. It was designed for one-handed use, leaving the user's other arm free to use a shield. Thera picked it up, and as she did with the other, swung it over her head. To her satisfaction, the sword gracefully went through the air, feeling like an extension of her arm. She placed the sword in her sheath.

Walking back to her tent, she noticed the scouting party she had sent out earlier coming back with several other women. As they came out of the trees, Thera could recognize one of the women as Diana. Turning on her heels, she walked towards the group.

The other Amazons had also taken notice of the new arrivals. They had already formed a line with women on either side, leaving the middle clear to walk through. Thera took a position at the end.

As Diana walked past, the Amazons bowed to her. She made her way towards Thera. When she was a few inches away, Thera lowered herself to the ground.

"My queen." Thera raised her head to meet Diana's eyes. "Your army is ready for you."

Diana nodded, not knowing quite what to say.

"If I may, I would like to show you the camp."

"Of course."

Standing upright, Thera motioned for Diana and the others to follow her.

Bruce heard the loading ramp close. Cautiously he peeked his head out of the storage compartment he was in. He checked both ways to see if anyone was present besides himself. Although from his position, he couldn't be sure that no one was in the cockpit or any other part hidden from his view. Confident in his ability to conceal himself, Bruce slowly crawled out of the compartment.

Certain that he was alone, Bruce strode over to the cockpit, and activated the loading ramp. He carefully walked down the ramp, not knowing how far away Diana and the others were. Once he reached the end, he picked up his tempo a bit, and followed the footprints he found left in the ground.

Still following the footprints, Bruce entered the forest. A twig snapped under his foot as he stepped on it, causing several flocks of birds to scatter. He gently lifted the foot, and placed it back on the ground. Careful not to make anymore noise, he continued. As he walked, one set of footprints veered away from the rest. Bruce bent down to examine them more closely. From the size and shape, he could tell that the prints were most likely Cara's.

"Stand up, and turn around slowly." Bruce could feel the sharp point of a sword on his back, so he complied.

"I told you it was a man," a different woman said.

"Be quiet, Evia."

Evia folded her arms across her chest. "What do we do with him, Carina?"

"Well, if it was up to me, we would kill him where he stands. But since it isn't, we'll take him back to the camp, and let the queen decide."

Evia took one of Bruce's arms and started dragging him towards the camp. Carina kept the tip of her sword pressed against his back. She jabbed him a few times when he wasn't moving fast enough. After several more painful jabs, they finally arrived.

Barbara and Cara were sitting with each other near the edge of the camp. Cara was closely studying a flower. Barbara noticed the three people walk into the camp, she slapped Cara on the arm to get her attention. Cara gave Barbara a why-did-you-do-that-for look. Barbara pointed to the group. "Is that Bruce?"

"Yes." Cara then went back to the flower.

"Diana is going to be so mad."

Cara lifted her head. "She will, won't she? Let's go watch!" Cara grabbed Barbara, and ran towards Diana's tent.

"Cara, slow down. I don't have super speed, you know."

Diana was looking at a map with Mira, Shayera, Zatanna, Dinah, and Helena, when Cara and Barbara came rushing into the tent.

"What's up with you two?" Mira asked.

"Tell her, Barbara." Cara said.

"Tell who what?" Zatanna inquired.

"It doesn't matter." Barbara started. "You'll all find out soon enough."

As if on cue, Evia and Carina announced their presence outside the tent. Diana gave them permission to enter. Everyone's jaw, besides Cara's and Barbara's, dropped as Bruce entered the tent with the two women. "Leave us," Diana ordered. The two women bowed, then exited. Shayera and Dinah stepped to either side of the opening. Mira and Helena stood on either side of them. The rest stood on either side of Diana, leaving Bruce right in the middle of the circle they had formed. "You stowed away, didn't you?"

"Yes." Bruce responded.

"Could you leave us alone, please?"

Shayera nodded, and started to usher everyone outside.

Diana stared at Bruce for a few minutes before speaking. "What were you thinking?" Her eyes were pleading for an answer from him, but she continued talking. "You know that with you being here it's just going to make things more difficult. The Amazons are going to expect me to make an example of you. If I don't I could lose their trust. But then again, I can't bear to hurt you."

"What are you going to do, then?"

"I don't know, Bruce." Diana snapped. "If you were someone else, I'd know exactly what to do. I guess I'll just have to take the consequences of having you in the camp." She took in a deep breath. "I wish you hadn't come, then again, I'm glad you did."

"How glad?" Bruce asked as he walked up to her. He couldn't keep his 'playboy' side from asserting itself as he pulled her into his embrace, and kissed her.

* * *

A/N: Alright this is going to be pretty quick. First off: I'm sorry this came late. Second off: This is really random stuff, but I was looking at the site that I usually go to to get names for characters, and I found out that the names Barbara and Lois are actually Greek in origin.


	5. Chapter Four: Challenged Leadership

A/N: Yay, new chapter!! And special thanks to my beta Miles333, for getting it to me the same day I sent it, despite having a very busy schedule. Now for the thing you have all been waiting for, the disclaimer!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the story, they are the respectful property of DC Comics and Warner Brothers Studios, I just write storied about them.

* * *

Diana awoke early the next morning. Nani, her handmaiden, had already laid her clothes out on the cot. Diana splashed her face with some water from a basin near the cot, then got dressed. She took in a deep breath before exiting the tent.

Bruce was pacing inside the tent that he was in. He wasn't a person for staying in one place when there were things to be done, but Diana had asked him to stay put until she came for him. As he turned his back to the tent's opening, he heard a rustling sound. He wheeled around to find Diana standing in front of him. "Morning, Princess."

"That's 'my queen' to you." she replied firmly, but with a smile playing on her lips. She closed the opening before moving closer to him. Bruce cupped his hands around her waist, and pulled her as close to himself as he could. She draped her arms around his neck, and kissed him softly. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the one who's going to have to make the announcement."

She laid her head against his chest. "I know."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"Patience, Bruce, we'll go soon enough. I just want a few more minutes before all Tartarus breaks loose."

"That's not exactly how the saying goes, but to each his own."

"Rea..." Diana stopped short when she heard someone open the flap of the tent, and she quickly drew away from Bruce.

"I didn't catch you two at a bad time, did I?" Shayera asked as she entered.

"No, of course not," Bruce replied sarcastically.

Choosing to ignore him, Shayera addressed Diana. "Alright, everyone is outside waiting for you. I didn't tell them a thing, although Evia kept pestering me about what was going on. It was getting to the point where I thought I'd have to hit her with my mace, just so she would shut up."

"Thank you. We'll be right out," Diana replied.

"Alright, I'll leave you two alone." Shayera exited the tent.

"Shall we?" Bruce asked, holding a hand out towards the opening.

"Let's go." Diana left the tent, with Bruce right behind her.

As Shayera had mentioned, everyone was outside waiting. Diana said a silent prayer before stepping out of the shadow that the tents provided. "I have come to a decision," she started. "This man, known as Bruce, will be allowed to stay with us for the time being as a spectator." The Amazons started to protest, but Diana silenced them with a raised hand. She continued, "He will not be allowed to take part in any matters concerning the army. However, he will be treated with respect. Am I clear?"

"Yes, your majesty," most of the Amazons replied, although they did not take kindly to the fact of having a man live amongst them.

"Good. Now, don't just stand around, we still have things to do."

At her command, everyone went about their business. Carina, however, stayed where she was. "What type of queen are you?" Carina asked quietly, but loud enough for Diana to hear.

"Is there something wrong, Carina?" Diana questioned as she walked closer to her.

Carina straightened up to her full height, only to make herself about two inches shorter than Diana. "Yes," she said calmly. "You made a bad decision by allowing him," she pointed to Bruce. "to stay. Any other queen would have had him executed."

"I'm not any other queen. And until my mother is rescued, you're stuck with me."

"Why wait? Queen Hippolyta has her faults as well."

"What are you saying?"

"I challenge you for the position of queen."

By then, the conversation between Diana and Carina had attracted the attention of the women in the immediate vicinity. Gasps were heard as the shock of what Carina just said took affect. Only Queen Hippolyta's predecessor, Queen Sophronia, had ever challenged a queen for, and won, the title by ritual combat.

"I accept. We will start one hour before dawn." Diana turned on her heels and strode off.

Bruce ran off after her. When he caught up to her he asked, "You're really going to fight her?"

"Yes, I am. If I don't, I'll be labeled as a coward. And if there is one thing that the Amazons won't follow any more than they would a man, it's a coward."

"That's comforting."

The time came for Diana to face Carina. She walked to a small clearing with Nani. Sticks formed a square-shape in the center of the clearing, to mark the area in which the two were to fight in. Carina was already inside the square, armed with only a sword. Diana entered, and turned around. Nani handed Diana her sword, and backed away to a safe distance with the other onlookers.

The rules were simple. Be the first to knock down your opponent for more than five seconds, and you win. As reigning queen, Diana stood in the center of the square as Carina circled her. Diana was allowed the first strike, but she waited patiently for the right moment. When Carina was directly behind her, Diana wheeled around as fast as she could and swung her sword at Carina's mid-section. Caught off guard, Carina was barely able to parry the attack.

Carina pushed as hard as she could against her sword that was still connected with Diana's, trying to force her to the ground. Diana kept Carina at bay by applying just enough force to keep her from getting an advantage. Carina pulled away, and swung at Diana's leg. Diana parried, but because of how close she had to go to her leg, she ended up cutting herself. She could feel the blood start to trickle down her thigh.

Diana abruptly pulled her sword up and aimed it at Carina's head. Carina blocked her. Diana then twisted her arm so that the tip of the sword had access to Carina's arm. She pulled back, leaving a slit about four inches long on Carina's arm. Carina tossed her sword into her other hand, and lashed out at Diana.

Although Diana could tell that wasn't her natural fighting arm, Carina showed no signs of unease, and her movements were just as graceful and swift as they were with her other hand.

The fight went on for over an hour, and was still going strong. Both women were bleeding from various cuts. Carina had even managed to bring Diana to the ground, but not long enough to win. Diana could see that Carina was starting to tire. Carina jabbed at Diana. Diana jabbed at her in return, and swiftly pulled away.

Carina kicked at Diana, catching her foot on Diana's ankle, and pulled her foot back, causing Diana to fall to the ground. Diana stood back up and swung at Carina. Her sword stopped on Carina's, and instead of letting it linger for a bit, she drew it back and swung at her again with all of her strength, starting a succession of attacks.

It proved to be too much for Carina to handle in her weakened state, and she fell to the ground. Diana rushed to her side, and placed her foot on Carina's stomach. Carina stared up at Diana. Diana took her foot off, and allowed Carina to rise. Carina went up onto her knees, and lowered her head. "My queen," she said, as was the custom.

"Get up." Diana moved back a few steps. "Make sure her wounds are tended to," she told one of the healers. Diana briskly walked out of the square, and headed back towards her tent. Nani and another healer followed closely behind her.


	6. Chapter Five: Chance to Escape

A/N: New chapter, hopefully you'll get another one before Christmas, which is just 18 days away!! As you can probably tell, I love Christmas.

* * *

Hippolyta leaned against the chains that held her arms firmly to the wall. She was exhausted, and wanted to lie down on the cold floor to allow her feet to rest, but the chains prevented her from doing so. Her thoughts raced back and forth between her want for sleep, and her concern for her people, her sisters. She prayed for the gods to watch over them, and lead them to victory. When she finished her prayer, Hippolyta allowed her fatigue to consume her, and fell into an un-restful sleep.

Her sleep was disturbed when the iron doors leading to the dungeon were dragged open. Wearily, Hippolyta lifted her head. "Supper time." a chubby man about five feet tall, called 'Porker', said as he walked into the dungeon with a tray of food in his hands. "The boss man wants to keep your strength up, that way you won't be dead when he's through with you!" he laughed. He drew closer to Hippolyta, placed the tray on the floor, and pulled the ring of keys off of his belt. He found the key he wanted, and began to unlock Hippolyta's arms. "You're a lucky one. Most of his captives don't even make it this far."

Hippolyta's face distorted as the stench of his breath reached her nose. Her arms dropped when the chains were removed. She immediately began to rub her sore wrists. Porker watched her for a few seconds, then started walking back towards the door. "Thank you." He turned around at the sound of her voice.

"Er, your welcome?" he was genuinely confused. "Pardon my manners, not many say 'thank you' to me."

"I don't see why, you're obviously a man that does a lot for your people."

"You're right, I do more than my fair share!" He walked back over to Hippolyta. "And those ingrates don't even give me a pat on the back for my good work."

Hippolyta placed both of her hands over Porker's shoulders. Then she mustered all the strength she could, and threw her head hard against his, causing Porker to drop to the ground unconscious. Quickly, she grabbed the keys off his belt, just in case the door was locked, and raced to the door. To her relief, the door opened with little resistance. She ran out of the dungeon, eager to get out of the palace before someone could catch her.

Two guards were waiting in the corridor for Porker. "Did you hear something?" one guard asked the other.

"It's probably just Porker coming back."

"Shouldn't we go check?"

"And why should we?"

"Because, you said so yourself, it's _**probably**_ Porker, but it could be someone else."

The second guard looked thoughtfully at his companion. "I have to stop under-estimating you, you're smarter than you look."

Seconds later, Hippolyta came into view of the two guards. "Hey you, stop right there!" the first guard shouted. She ran right past them, causing them to chase after her. A few minutes later the first guard placed his hands on his knees, and began panting for breath.

"Come on you nitwit, she's getting away!"

"I thought when you said you would stop under-estimating me, that meant you wouldn't call me names anymore."

"Not when the prisoner is getting away!"

"Well, why don't you just catch up with her and dart her."

"That's not a bad idea," the second guard said as he took off in the direction Hippolyta was heading.

"Glad to be of service," the first guard said breathlessly; he soon fell to the floor.

Hippolyta reached the main entrance of the palace, but not without gaining the attention of several more guards. She was about to press against the door when she felt something pierce her neck. She slumped to the floor.

"Got ya," the second guard declared as he walked over to her. With the help of another comrade, he picked her off of the floor. "You didn't think you would get away that easily, did you?"

Hippolyta awoke back in the dungeon. The doors opened once again, revealing the form of the men's leader. "I hope you slept well." Hippolyta just stared at him. "I heard you tried to escape earlier, even got as far as the palace doors. That's quite a feat; none of my other captives have managed to elude my guards as long as you did. No matter, they managed to catch you anyways. Now, I have a few questions to ask you, I just want you to answer them the best you can. If you were still with the, what do you call yourselves, that's right, Amazons, where would you have taken them?"

"I would never tell you that."

"And why is that?"

"Because I would never betray my sisters to a worthless pig as yourself." Hippolyta then spat on his shoe to get her point across.

He looked down at his shoe. "Well, well, well, that's not very queen-like, now is it?" he said as he began to unglove his hand. "You know, my father always told me never to hit a woman, but I'm sure that if he had met you, he would have made an exception." He raised his hand, and slapped Hippolyta savagely across her face. He then leaned into her ear. "I will ask you my first question once again." he whispered. "Where would you have taken the Amazons?"

"I'll be dead before you would ever find out."

"Very well then." He slapped her again.

After an hour of interrogation, the men's leader finally left. Hippolyta's face was sore, and swollen. Her lips were bleeding, partly from being extremely dry. She shakily drew in deep breaths of air, and drifted into an uneasy sleep.


End file.
